As security concerns grow, countries near Russia are withdrawing from decades-old mine ban

• European countries bordering Russia are taking steps to leave key mine treaties.

• During the Ukrainian War, land mines were widely and actively used in the Ukrainian War.

• NGOs are concerned about the impact of land and mines on the civilian population.

A growing number of countries bordering Russia are abandoning a long-term treaty to ban the use of anti-artificial land mines.

Finland became the latest country on Tuesday, announcing it was withdrawing from the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, sale and production of land mines.

This was after March announcements in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which also withdrew the news, an increasing concern about Russian aggression.

Military analysts told Business Insider that Ukraine’s war is reshaping thinking about some weapons, breaking long-term bans to prevent the use of weapons such as land mines.

Land and mines make a comeback

Finnish President Alexander Stubb released on Tuesday.

The decision, he said, was “based on a thorough assessment of relevant ministries and the Defense Forces”, but added that the country “bears its international obligation to be responsible for the mines”.

The Ottawa Convention has more than 160 signatories, the United States, Russia and China in famous absences.

In announcing their decision, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said: “We believe it is crucial to provide our defence forces with flexibility and freedom to choose potentially use new weapon systems and solutions in the current security environment.”

For many years, NATO members have based on the assumption that modern military must be highly manipulated. However, the Ukrainian war became more similar to World War I, with both sides deeply rooted in a static position of serious defense.

Now, European countries appear to be quickly adjusting their strategies based on Ukraine’s lessons and worrying that Russia will attack elsewhere in Europe if it wins part of its victory in Ukraine.

Jacob Parakilas, head of European Defense Strategy, Policy and Capacity Research at Rand, told BI that the Ukrainian War proved the continued utility of land mines. “Mines still have significant military value in shaping the battlefield, stopping or slowing down the progress of the enemy,” he said.

Landmines, mines, everywhere

In Ukraine, both sides are often trying to break each other’s defensive posture, some of whom have greatly strengthened in the minefield.

During Ukraine’s 2023 counterattack, Russia laid huge explosives, and Ukraine also used land mines. Now, Ukraine is considered the worst country in the world, and it is estimated that neutralizing them can take decades and billions of dollars.

Naval mines are also deployed in the Black Sea, which offers its own problems and long-term challenges.

On land mines, Riccardo Labianco, international policy manager for MAG, the UK anti-American charity, told BI that the risk to civilians is too serious to justify abandoning the Ottawa Treaty.

“We recognize that when a country is threatened by armed aggression, there is no simple option, but international humanitarian law, including the Ottawa Convention, is designed for such an era,” he said.

But Marcus Solarz Hendriks, head of the policy exchange’s national security department, called on the British government to abandon its ban last month.

He told BI that Ukraine showed that they were important weapons to defend against mass invasions, i.e., “by limiting operability and directing troops to pre-prepared killing areas” or areas targeting large units.

“This operational advantage is especially suitable for digitally disadvantaged troops, and this could be the case if these states are forced to resist Russia’s attempted advancement,” he said.

Start the mine

Countries such as Finland share long land borders with Russia in countries with lesser degrees in Latvia and Estonia, making them the frontlines for any future Russian aggression.

Finland also announced that it has increased its defense budget to 3% of GDP, with many countries bordering Russia significantly increasing defense spending.

For those who consider land mines, it may be a problem. The Ottawa Treaty prohibits not only the use, but also the manufacturing of mines, which means they cannot be easily purchased on the European market.

Parakilas said some European countries have obtained mines from Singapore or South Korea, which has a larger, border area with North Korea.

Even so, he said, mines are not difficult, meaning that domestic production can be made in “months rather than years or decades.”

Although the core of land mines has almost no change, some technologies have developed. This includes making Russian mining claims that it has developed to distinguish object types, allowing them to separate the approaching civilian buses from tanks.

Others are equipped with equipment, which means they disbanded after a while, reducing the risk of civilians triggering forgotten but unexploded mines years later.

But Parakilas said complex equipment is more expensive and unlikely to be used to mine large swaths of territory.

Worry about landmines

While some countries seem to be more favorable to mines, others have warned against giving up on the Ottawa General Assembly, despite the growing threat.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide criticized Finland’s announcement on Wednesday.

“If we start to weaken our commitment, it makes it easier for warring factions around the world to use these weapons again because it will reduce stigma,” he told Reuters.

But Solarz Hendriks told BI that the ban on land mines in the 1990s, which had large mine stocks, faced threats from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

He suggested: “In the name of self-defense, our allies’ latest decisions are to close this capability gap and therefore have minimal risk of proliferation.”

As Russia’s threat grows, and concerns about the long-term commitment of the United States to European security, others may soon join Finland and Baltic countries, among others, to reassess their opposition to the mines.

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